Stub-switch for railways.



PATENTED AUG. 30, 1904.

J. G. MoKEOWN. STUB SWITCH FOR RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 6, 1903. RENEWED JUNE 28, 1904.

V m8 N M Q INVENTOH WITNESSES:

A TTORNE VS.

To all whom it may concern.-

' UNITED STATES Patented August 30,1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES GRANT MOKEOWN, OF PHOENIX, CANADA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO MARTIN MoHA-LE, OF PHOENIX, CANADA.

STUB-SWITCH FOR RAILWAYS.

PE(LIFICA'IION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,107, dated August 30, 1904. Application filed August 6, 1903. Renewed June 28, 1904. Serial No. 214,498. (No model) Be it known that I, J AMEs GRANT MoKEowN, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing l at Phoenix, in the Provinceof British Cohimbia and Dominion of Canada, have invented a f new and Improved Stub-Switch for Railways, of which the following is a full, clear, and eX- act description.

This invention relates to railway-switches; and it consists, substantially, in certain parts and details and combinations of the same here inafter particularly described and claimed.

of .the principal objects thereof is to over-l come numerous disadvantages and inconveniences frequently encountered in the use of many devices of the kind hitherto devised and also to provide a railway-switch of this character which is simple in construction and organization, as well as thoroughly efiective and reliable in operation and comparativelyinexpensive to manufacture.

A further object of the invention is to provide a railway-switch of the kind referred to which comprises but few parts and which is easily regulated and repaired, besides possessing the capacity for long and-repeated service.

The above and'additional objects are attained by means substantially such as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a stub-switch for railways embodying my improvements;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially in the plane of the broken line 22 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3 3 in Fig. 4:, and Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line 4 4 in Fig. 3.

Before proceeding with a more detailed description it may be stated that in the form of my improvements herein shown I preferably provide for each of the switch-rails a bed-plate of special construction, said plates also supporting the adjacent ends .of the stationary rails of the main line, and I also employ specially-constructed devices for fastening both the main and switch rails to the bedplates, several of said devices subserving the additional function of stops for limiting the lateral movements of the switch-rails in either direction. I furthermore provide speciallyi devised means for firmly securing the switchrails together in their proper relative positions and in a manner to enable the ready placing and removal of said rails when desired, and while I have herein represented The invention has reference more espe' 5' cially to stub-switches for railways; and one i my improvements in a certain preferred embodiment it Wlll be understood, of course,

that I am not limited to. the precise detailstimes being such as to crowd the movable parts contributing to my improvements, however, these disadvantages are practically overcome, as will presently appear. i

Specific reference being had to theaccompanying drawings by the designating characters marked thereon, 1 represents a plurality of railway ties of ordinary form, and placed thereon a suitable distance apart are the bedplates 2, which are secured to said ties in any suitable manner, as by spikes 3. Said bedplates are each preferably of gradually-increasing width, as shown, in the direction of the joints formed between the ends of the main-line rails 4 and 5 and the laterally-movable elastic rails 6, thus providing ample working surface for said latter rails, and it will be noted that at proper intervals thereof the upper surfaces of said bed plates are formed with practically coinciding corresponding transverse grooves 7, the side edges or walls of which are preferably reversely curved at 8 to allow for the movement therebetween of the ends of connecting-bars 9, by which the movable rails 6 are securely held apart relatively to each other. The upper surface of each of said bars is formed, near each end thereof, with substantially a dovetailed groove 10*as indicated at Fig. 2, for instance*and fitting in appropriate ones of these grooves are the bases 11 of the movable rails 6, the construction and organization being such that portions of the said connectingbars 9 extend and move within the said grooves 10 below the upper surfaces of the bed-plates 2, while the under surfaces of the bases of said movable rails operate practically in contact with or upon the said upper surfaces of the bed-plates, as shown.

At a suitable distance from the free end of each of the movable rails 6 I secure said rail to the corresponding bed-plate therefor by means of suitable devices applied to the base of the rail on either side of the latter, said devices each consisting, preferably, of a block 12, fitting in an opening 13 therefor, provided in the bed-plate, (see Figs. 3 and 4,) said block being provided at its upper end with a head or flange 14E, engaging a portion of the base of the rail and having a vertical opening formed therein, through which passes a headed bolt or pin 15, said bolt being threaded on its lower portion, as shown, and passing also through an opening therefor in a plate '16, fitting on the lower side of the bedplate across the edges of said opening 13, the bolt having a nut 17 applied thereon to make fast and secure the connection. The adjacent end portions of each of the main rails 4 and 5 are similarly connected or secured to the appropriate bed-plate therefor at 18 and 19, the head or flange of each of the blocks at these latter places being elongated, as shown at 20, so as to extend beyond the ends of said rails 4 and 5, and thus serve as stops for limiting the lateral movement of the adjacent ends of said rails 6, as is apparent.

The bed-plates are preferably constructed of any suitable metal, and any ordinary or well-known means may be employed for operating the movable rails 6, one end of one of the connecting-bars 9 for such rails being shown in the present instance as extended at 20 for that purpose, this end portion of said bar being provided with a loop 21 or other suitable means for movable connection therewith of an ordinary operating-rod 22, the inner endof this rod being broken ofi in Fig. l for the purpose of clearness.

The construction andoperation of my improved switch will be fully understood, it is thought, without further explanation.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A railway-switch comprising duplicate bed-plates, laterally-movable rails working on said plates, main rails, and blocks for securing end portions of the latter to the bedplates, said blocks projecting longitudinally beyond the ends of the main rails and forming stops for limiting the movement of said first-named rails in either direction.

2. A railway-switch comprising duplicate bed-plates, constructed at intervals of the upper surfaces thereof with corresponding transverse grooves, duplicate movable rails working on said plates, and means connecting said rails and partly working in said grooves.

3. A railway-switch comprising duplicate bed-plates, constructed at intervals of the upper surfaces thereof with corresponding transverse grooves, duplicate movable rails working on said plates, and bars connecting said rails and partly working in said grooves.

4. A railway-switch comprising duplicate bed-plates, constructed at intervals of the upper surfaces thereof with corresponding transverse grooves, duplicate movable rails working on said plates, and bars connecting said rails and partly working in the grooves, said bars being formed with substantially dovetailed grooves near the ends thereof, in which portions of the bases of the rails are fitted.

5. A railway-switch comprising substantially duplicate bed-plates, constructed at intervals of the upper surface thereof with corresponding transverse grooves, substantially duplicate movable rails working on said plates, and bars connecting the rails and partly working in the grooves, the edges or sides of the latter being reversely curved.

6. A railway-switch comprising a bed-plate, stationary rail-sections, movable rail-sections, and means for securing each section to the bed-plate, said means consisting of a block fitting an opening therefor in the bed-plate, and flanged, to engage the base of the rail, said block having a vertical opening therein, and a threaded bolt passing through such opening and secured beneath the bed-plate by a disk and a nut.

7 A railway-switch comprising substantially duplicate bed-plates, constructed at intervals of the upper surfaces thereof with co 1'- responding transverse grooves, substantially duplicate movable rails working on said plates, bars connecting the rails and partly working in the grooves, and means for limiting the movement of said rails in either direction.

8. A railway-switch comprising substantially duplicate bed-plates constructed at intervals of the upper surfaces thereof with corv responding transverse 'gi'ooves, substantially to this specification in the presence of two subduplicate movable ralis working on said plates, scribing. witnesses.

and bars connecting the rails and partly workingin the grooves, one of said bars being ex- JAMES GRANT MOKEOWN v 5 tended at one end and adapted for connection Witnesses: I

with an operating-rod for the switch. DONALD J. MATHESON,

' In testimony whereof I have signed my name ED. L. WILLIAMS. 

